Battle of the Labyrinths: Caster v. Caster
Prologue 1000 "Before we leave," Altea declared. "Caster, I am forbidding your usage of that Noble Phantasm." "Why is that, Master?" "Really, Caster," she sighed. "Didn't you expect me to use a Command Spell on you? As my Servant, I really only need you to be loyal to me. Because of this, the usage of that Noble Phantasm is forbidden." While she was speaking, she held out her right hand. The crest on her hand glowed red and expanded outwards. She then lowered her hand and looked at it. The bottom wing had faded. That left her with only two strokes. She knew she made the right choice. She knew all about the hero . She knew of his ingenuity. She didn't want to risk dying just because she wasn't cautious as a Master. Once she left the Millennium Capital, Caules greeted her. "Ma'am, I have these train tickets prepared for you." "Thank you, Signor Caules," she replied. "I will be off." "I shall bring you to the station," he offered. Caules brought up his car and waved her in. Nodding, Altea got in and braced herself for a ride. Upon arriving at the station, she bid farewell to Caules and took a deep breath. Taking her luggage, she boarded the train. This one action was irreversible. She was stepping onto the fields of war. There were no such thing as takebacks. She would travel south towards Bucharest. From there, she will take a flight to Tokyo. She found herself an empty seat and sat down. The engine coughed to life and chugged away. Sound the trumpets! The Great War has begun. ---- 1013 The flight had been a long one, especially with all the necessary haste added upon the two of them when they were up and jumped to immediately depart to Romania of all places at the jump of the gun. True, Daisy was in possession of a private plane and thus they were not hindered by the lengths of time one is accustomed to when boarding a public airline and a bit of magecraft to allow them to depart as swiftly as they arrived didn't cause too much of an issue either. But still, suddenly splitting up their unified front of five so that they could simultaneously attack and defend the grail was not the plan either of the two had in mind. Whatever Nicholas had in mind had better have been worth the effort the two of them were going to have to go through by entering enemy territory with only two Servants. Not even the Knight Classes at that. With seven enemies known and two unknowns who may or may not be friendly, this was more than simply a risk. This was a purely unadulterated gamble worthy of the Paradise Strip in Las Vegas. And the flight had to be made early in the morning too much to Daisy's distress. Didn't Nicholas care that a lady needed to look her best before leaving the home or was it that he hadn't expected her to catch her necessary hours of beauty sleep before the sun would kindly rouse her from slumber? "Shall I move the baggage to the car, ma maitresse?" her butler called out, carrying a single case of luggage by his side while three of the dolls that made up the cabin crew had two each draped upon their shoulders and one gripped in each hand as well. Thankfully no one was around to see the faceless marionettes walking across the runway. The Pilots would have been better choices had they parked any closer to being within view, but they were not exactly able to communicate well either which would have meant wasting even more prana just to avoid getting called in by security. "No need, Fipart" Daisy replied, turning around sharply that her dress nearly fluttered up further than her kneecaps. "We will take the train from here. No doubt someone will have been tipped off by our arrival." "But why here?" Sinikka asked as stepped off the plane following after her partner and her servant "There must be closer Airports than this." "True, however, the closer we are, the more risk we are of getting caught in our enemy's sights. If they caught wind of our landing before we had a chance to make our advance, we would be knocked out of this war immediately before you could say . . ." She took a pause and a breath before she produced the longest word Sinikka had ever heard in her life. "Llan-fair-pwll-gwyn-gyll-go ger-y-chwyrn-drobwll-llan-tysilio-g-ogo-goch." . . . Sinikka had no answer to that. Even if she was fairly proficient in English given that it was her second language, that was something that should not have come of easily from the tongue as Daisy had made it appear. Caster kept herself dematerialised and silent the whole time. Even during the flight, it was almost as if she preferred to be undisturbed by the world around her. "And which train will that be?" "We'll take any going North for now. Probably the Intercity 500 if we are lucky." Daisy declared though the exact information had actually been procured for by her Servant before they landed. "There's no guarantee they haven't got an annoying Caster or Archer that's keeping tabs on any movements near their territory." Daisy pulled a small frilled piece of cloth from her sleeve and dabbed her brow midway through her reply. Fipart and the dolls had already walked on further than the two Masters by now, which left them both standing around alone for a while before they made any efforts to follow after their escorts. "Either way," she continued after finishing with erasing the traces of sweat, "since we'll not be able to hit them directly, it would be better to at least get their attention but make them come to us where we can play for defence rather than the opposite." Avoiding the security of the airport had not been hard. In fact, it seemed that there had been specific efforts made that allowed them an ease of access out with minimal barriers. Physical ones, not ones crafted in thaumaturgy, it should be mentioned. Reaching the front of the airport where people passing in and out of the airport swarmed and clamoured with tourists and residents both making dashes in either direction. The only thing keeping this place from becoming bedlam was the orderly fashion in which they seemed to have grasped. Both Masters stood waiting with three golems with nothing but metal mirror-like faces and mostly human builds to keep them company. The seven bags laying in a neat little wall, cutting them off from the rest of the rabble entering and exiting the doors to their right, and an open road with buses, taxis and the occasional limousine pulling up and driving off every five minutes or so in front. After fifteen minutes, a black and orange minivan parked up directly in front of them. The colour combination as hideous had it not been saved by a few more splashes of colour and company logos and slogans splattered all across the sides. Thankfully they would not be using it for their entire trip. Fipart stepped out and closed the door behind before bowing formerly to his mistress. Nothing was to be said for the small, tiny tiny in fact, crack in the driver side window conveniently placed where the latch to unlock it was fixed. "I have secured a minivan to take us to the station, ma maitresse. Would you like to set up a counter-measure before we lose the opportunity?" Fipart's eyes reflected a demonic yellow-orange glow as he produced a noteworthy question before his mistress as the last but one of the luggage was loaded unto the vehicle. "We think we shall, Fipart" she replied without needing to take time into consideration, procuring a fan to her hand to keep herself cool. "Best we do not alleviate our enemy's expectations of us now. It would not suit the House of Greville to fall behind our foe's imagination, would it?" "Right you are, ma maitresse" she smiled as if almost to bear his right canine in a fashion most befitting an apex predator. Even if he was on their side, the sight was still unsettling to Sinikka who was not quite used to this character's presence. She both really hoped Nicholas knew what he was doing with this plan of his. ---- 1223 It had already been two hours since her departure. Altea found it strange to not have encountered other magi yet. The only people around her were mere mortals. Except for the one seated next to her. "Master, if I may..." "Speak, Caster," Altea ordered. "What is it?" "The absence of other magi is definitely strange. Something is off." "Yes, I knew that," she hissed. The next moment was deafening. The train shook as what seemed to be an explosion rattled the outside. "Great. Have they struck already?" "No, I believe there was sabotage done to the engines of this train," Caster deduced. "Master, I advise you to leave the train now." "Fine, fine," she sighed. She stood up and grabbed her items from above. Reinforcing her own body, she pointed a finger at the section of wall directly next to her seat. She had slightly weakened the wall and with one mighty shove forced herself out of the train. She rolled on the dirt outside and watched as the front of the train was engulfed in flames. "Tch." "I still don't sense any magi around," Caster stated. "Let's go deeper into the forest. We need cover." "Easy for you to say. You can just dematerialize." However, Altea heeded his advice. She dove into the forests, keeping the tracks in her line of sight as she moved south. For the next few minutes, she moved slowly, her eyes still glued to the tracks. "Anyway, Caster, mind explaining to me what the heck happened if there are no magi around?" Caster took a deep breath and began to rant. "So many things, Master. If I had been the one to design this train, I wouldn't have made the mistake of overlooking the risk of stones being flicked up by forward motion of such speeds which would, in turn, damage the circuit box beneath the train that would cause two conflicting currents to conduct each other which caused a smaller explosion exposed near the fuel line which is why this train started spontaneously exploding. Although I like the choice of colors, so I give this invention a decent 3.5 for the effort and a massive decrease in this oversight. I would wish to see the engineers on both ends strung up for such an obvious flaw." Altea nearly stopped and turned around but didn't do so. She forgot that her Servant was a fervent inventor and engineer himself. "Fine, excellent deduction, Caster." "It was nothing, Master," he shrugged. "On a side note, I could open a passage into the Labyrinth. It'd make it much easier." "I guess..." Altea relented. "Is mana an issue?" "Not a problem, Master," he replied. "Opening a passageway is like chewing gum. It's that easy." He held out his hand towards the ground and up rose a doorless door. About two meters tall and a meter wide, Caster waved at his Master. "Come in, Master. It is time to delve into my domain." Altea marched into the door and found herself in infinite darkness. Chapter One 1248 A synthetic voice resonated in the carriages: Attention please. Due to an unknown obstruction at the opposite end of the line, all trains travelling have been halted until this issue has been fixed. We formally apologise for any inconvenience this has caused for all our passengers. The groans of the passengers when the announcement was made over the speakers whent he train came to a sudden stop after decreasing speed for the last mile. That was, until there was a loud series of bangs erupting from the first-class carriages and the sound of metal pounding metal that had them all on high alert. Many people would tell of the sight as what appeared to be a race of metal men carrying away young girls down and away along the track, never to be seen again. Or so the urban legend started. "Typical" Daisy exhumed, sitting angrily cross arms and legs while seated on her doll's shoulder. "Just typical that we should have to resort to brutish methods as this in order to make good on our schedule." They had caught the train after waiting nearly an entire hour for the next train heading north to arrive in the station. Even attempting to wave a difference of first class and second class tickets did nothing to hasten its arrival much to Daisy's dismay. When it did finally arrive, the company planted itself in the first class suites, of course, but made sure to spread themselves out as not to make themselves a smaller target to precision strikes they may have had to contend with. However, all this was rendered useless when the train was forced to stop because a train further up the other end of the line at Roman Station of all places. The exact station they needed to arrive at to be closest to Trifas when they begin their assault. Instead, they were now forced to walk, or at least be carried while the dolls ran, the rest of the journey. If anything, this was an opportunity to take in the surroundings before they may inevitably destroy them in the upcoming battles. "We thought that the railway network was supposed to be of the utmost reliance, but apparently fate has proved us to be wrong." It wasn't in her nature to complain like this. She may have had the world handed over on a silver spoon but even Daisy was aware of the inconveniences in the world and was largely immune to setbacks or delays. What irked her the most about this was that it just happened to have been right on the time that they had arrived and were making their way to the Masters of Dawn's home encampment. Even the explosion at the station they needed to reach was looking too big a coincidence from her point of view. She flicked her hair in annoyance as Sinikka held on as she started experiencing bouts of motion sickness from the continual shaking from the doll's movements as it half-ran-half-jogged along the beams and rails that made the path onward to their destination. She couldn't speak up for fear her insides would escape past her teeth. She just kept her mouth shut and eyes closed waiting for the shaking to stop. What? No. It couldn't be. It didn't take long before a voice stirred her by speaking directly in her mind. She turned around as her servant sudden materialised and was now being left behind as they kept running along. "Caster? W- Wait, Daisy! Stop!" "Hmm?" Their travelling party halted, much to Sinikka's relief as she almost felt a deep urge within her to kiss the floor. She fell to her feet and ran back to reunite with her servant. Caster was pressing her hand to the ground, as if she was trying to detect something underneath the earth. Her face was not one anyone present was familiar with. Her usual composition was in a state of shock, surprise, questioning, and a pivotal point whether to be saddened or enraged. "W-what is it?" Sinikka asked her servant as she rested her hands on her knees whilst leaning forward to observe the spot taking interest. "Is it a trap or . . . something important?" There was no way of catching Caster's unusual behaviour. She had always acted uninterested and aloof, but now her attention span had suddenly found an outlet. Her focus was on a small sign that only she would possibly recognise. "They're here," she replied cryptically as her eyes shot open and she stood back up still looking only at the spot on the ground. "He. Is Here." "Caster? Who?" "Something troubling you, ta grace?" Fipart, having run alongside the dolls at the same unreasonable speeds returned to their side after only having been able to stop a few extra yards after the general company became stationary. Caster's head didn't turn around to give her answer, but she acknowledged it at least. "The enemy's Servant is below ground." "Below us?" "Not directly," she stated, rectifying Daisy's easily mistaken assumption, "but indirectly. I can feel them. He's using it to avoid us completely. He's using it because he thinks he can." "Caster. Do you know who it is?" Caster didn't answer her Master, but rather she finally turned away from the spot and stared down at her. "Master; I can intercept them and prevent them from going further, but I will need to use my Noble Phantasm to do so. I will be applying a significant strain on your prana." Her response was direct, but there was no distinction whether it was proposed as a question or an order. It was difficult to suddenly comprehend as Sinikka suddenly found herself at the crossroads where her personal decision could become a pivotal moment in this war to come. Take the Masters now, or let them leave. It was not something she was prepared to suddenly decide upon after this situation was sprung upon them. She turned to meet Daisy, only for the younger girl to shake her head as if she already knew what she had been planning to say. "Your Servant is asking for your orders. This is your matter and yours alone. Whichever you decide, we will follow. But, this must be yours to decide, Sin darling." There was a sense of disparity rattling Sinikka, who was suddenly forced to confront the decision on her own. Quickly too unless they wished to see such an opportunity to be the aggressors against their enemies. Whether this place was, Caster was confident in who their opponent must have been, so they had that advantage. In addition, they were going to ambush them, so the enemy were most likely to be caught unaware they were about to be receiving an attack in such a place isolated from the surface. "If we don't go now, they could outrun us and leave before we can find them again. I need your prana now." There was a strong sense of urgency in her voice, that all those present had caught. This other servant Caster had obviously detected was someone Caster had known in life. That was obvious by the tone in her words and how she expressly demanded and pleaded by withholding as many words as possible. . . . In the end, with this surmounting pressure, there could only be one answer worth giving. "Do it, Caster. Follow after them. Caster turned immediately after receiving the order, however she was not able to cover the small glimpse of a sharp smirk pulling at her cheeks as she placed her hand out in front of her. "Abandoned and alone. Lost and Legendary. I accept thee as thou accepts I. Entrance me again and consume; Asterios Labyrinthos!" The earth shook after the aria was cast. It wasn't an earthquake, but rather the tremor of a foreign object rising from beneath their feet. The spot Caster had glared daggers upon was now sinking and a mound emerged from beneath the stones lining the middle of the railway line. It was a large monolith of stone, or what they first assumed was only rock. Then, a crevice emerged, which in turn rose into a hollow in the rock face, until they realised by the falling dirt and dust that it was, in fact, a large carved-out door that Caster had brought out. The route looked dark ahead, and yet by Sinikka's choice, they would be pressing on through into the shadows and into the terra ignotatum under their feet. ---- 1250 Altea was wondering how long they had been walking. She had her watch but she couldn't be sure of the time. Growing irritated, she finally asked, "Caster, is it just me or are we walking in circles?" Caster apologized, "Yes, we are, Master." "Caster..." "Apologies, apologies. Your Command Spell order only restricted my usage of a specific Noble Phantasm. You never told me that I can't mess around with you." "Fine, my fault then," Altea sighed. "Well, when are you going to get serious and lead me to our correct location?" "Before I do this, I need to inform you of what Perdix Pydixa does," he stated. "Whether you believe me or not is your decision." . . . Altea pondered this proposal. She had begun wondering if it was a good idea to bind him in the first place. "Elaborate." "Gladly. Perdix Pydixa is one of my three Noble Phantasms. As you know, it is ranked D+. However, you don't know it's classifications." Altea interrupted, "I know what it does. You use it to curse a tool that someone uses. The tool would then inevitably lead to its wielder's death." "Correct. However, you are incorrect in one thing. It is classified as Anti-Treasure and sadly, it only affects items wielded by Servants and other Noble Phantasms. I am afraid you used a Command Spell in vain." "I see..." "However, I must applaud your caution," he added quickly. "You are attentive, unlike my nephew, Perdix. On the other side of the coin, too much caution can also be deadly. Now, here is my request. Master, are you willing to take the risk and trust me?" . . . Silence. Altea struggled to find the right words. Did she trust this person? The one who murdered his own nephew because he was blessed with wisdom? The one who killed his nemesis under the guise of giving him a bath? The one who built the malevolent Labyrinth that is said to exist to this day? Then again, he had told her the details of his Noble Phantasm. Then again, that could just be a lie to throw her off. Caster remained silent, watching his Master squirm. Altea took a deep breath. Her entire being that had reason yelled, Don't do it! She ignored that part of her and embraced emotion. "Fine. Caster, with my-" "Master, stop!" Caster exclaimed. The suddenness of the shout left her confused. "What is it?" . . . "That's not possible..." he muttered. "She is the other Caster...?" She. Altea's mind began running. Her knowledge of Greek legends fired in her brain. She pinned down one name. Whether or not she was certain, she didn't know. However, she is confident in her prediction. The other Caster; Caster of Dusk. There was only one other mortal that could make Daedalus nervous. "Pasiphaë," she whispered. "It is her, correct?" she asked. "Yes... She is making chase... Let us stand our ground here, Master. She will eventually find us. That is for sure. Now, use a Command Spell, Master." "Not now, Caster," Altea ordered. "I will make the second order a bit mysterious to mask my true purpose." "Understood, Master," he relented. "Although, I still can't believe she's here... I must've been really unlucky in this Holy Grail War. Brace yourself, Master. She is here." ---- 1252 Neither of the Masters of Dusk questioned the mechanisms of a Noble Phantasm, especially one that managed to manifest itself as a labyrinth entrance that would enable them to eventually catch up to the enemy Caster. 'Caster of Dawn? Who was that? Why was Caster suddenly so shocked when she detected him, her, whoever he/she was?' Questions like these resonated through Sinikka's mind. Her Servant's innermost thoughts were such a disassembled mess of running ideas, memories, nostalgia and whatever else she could think of to describe them. They had started walking before Daisy started outrunning them whilst still riding atop her doll. Sinikka would have preferred to still be on her own two feet as everyone picked up the pace including her own Servant. However, she found herself more exhausted with little to no gains and resigned herself to another sick-inducing experience atop a metal marionette. The company was running forward into the heart of the Noble Phantasm had Caster leading up in front, with Daisy and Fipart running almost the same speeds following up, while Sinikka was last after a late start to this increase in speed they were all suddenly propelling themselves on. The invisible presence of Assassin running somewhere behind them all was still a possibility should this confrontation turn too largely against them. "Are we there yet?" Daisy complained, though the tone of her voice seemed to only display a light undertone as if to be purposely annoying. ". . ." Caster made no attempts to answer, which only annoyed Daisy further. Sinikka was forced to intervene before their team would split itself apart. "Will we be seeing the enemy soon, Caster?" she asked in a more lighter tone. "I cannot answer that." "How?" Sinikka almost wanted to curse Daisy's response. It was bad enough that she herself felt like she was always walking on eggshells when it came to her Servant, but Daisy had no such defense against how she spoke to Caster. That thought scared her more. No one stopped running. The pace never once faltered. But words continued to be exchanged between them. Only Sinikka was able to tell the mood of her Servant thanks to her link with her thoughts, though perhaps she wished she hadn't. "My sister would have loved to have made a pig out of you, little girl," Caster sneered without any changes to her face or her voice, yet she still perpetuated a dangerous aura in her words. "She especially enjoys the ones that squeal a lot, male or female." Had this been another person, they would have taken a hint that this was not a battle they would wish to engage in. A sane man would have listened to the voice in their head that told them to back away from the sleeping dragon just waiting for an excuse to awaken. Damn a nobleman's pride and arrogance for having want of this war. Daisy was not one of them. Blame her upbringing or whatnot, but she was determined not to fight this battle. No; she was to win this battle, even to her own death if so. "Perhaps," she started her response as she cleaned their hair from her right shoulder "she would have practically fallen head over heels for our Saber then since he was already a pig. Perhaps that level of attraction runs in the family." There must have been something in her eyes now because even as far away as Sinikka was, she could see something growl behind Caster's orbs as her head turned slightly against her opponent in insults. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that perhaps you learned your social etiquette simply to hide your vulgar undertones, little girl." "Oh, you have no idea, sweetie." In another universe, they may have either made the perfect duo or the worst pair in the entirety of Holy Grail Wars. Either way, it was not exactly the best to have seen the two of them wrestle while throwing thinly veiled insults at each other. Thankfully, they had one hell of a butler who knew how to defuse the situation before they caused the second eruption of Mount Vesuvius within this very tunnel. "Pardon my interruptions, mesdames," he spoke, managing to slacken his running to place himself in direct line of sight between the two of them. "I do not like to trumpet my own horn so to speak, however, our objective is still the elimination of our enemy at the other end of this tunnel, is it not? Perhaps you may continue your war of words another time." "Very well, manservant. To answer before that rude interruption, I cannot answer because the level of interference has begun." "Interference." It wasn't a question, but rather a reaffirmation of the words her Servant had just spoken of. The idea that someone, or something, was powerful enough to directly influence a Noble Phantasm didn't exactly sound like the type of enemy anyone would want to be chasing. Also considering the enemy had stopped running once they discovered they were being tailed, it was now sounding like a situation they should have started running away from themselves. "Indeed," Caster continued, "although we have the advantage as I was able to deploy my Noble Phantasm in its entirety first, the effects of the two are beginning to conflict with each other which is only delaying our route a little more than it would have been should we have been able to ambush them sooner." "So the enemy knows we're here then?" Sinikka asked "I would have thought he was getting rusty if he didn't at least notice we were gaining tail on him and his Master. Thankfully, he doesn't appear to wish to run anymore, so they are making their stand at the other end to our luck." "Are you going to tell us who "he" is at any point before we are literally going to be asking him to his face?" "That sounds like a more amusing idea. Yes, I think you shall, little girl." Daisy didn't have enough time to ventilate her overflowing steam bursting from either her ears as the narrow tunnel suddenly found its other end. Only to be inside another tunnel. However, the running finally stopped from all parties, as they found themselves no longer chasing. They were not alone anymore in this deep pathways beneath the earth. There, standing in opposition to their position were two figures of different kinds; one was shorter and female. Red hair, which was pale in comparison to her ruby eyes, that fell as far as her hips, but had enough to spare into a pair of twin tails to either side in light coloured ribbons. And her attire also of red was reminiscent of a fairy-tale witch one would find in the picture books of toddlers. The second figure was significantly scruffier, but he exerted a stronger aura of power. His hair was black like iron-smith soot, and eyes like a cooling breeze carried over a summer sky. His clothes were a mess and creased like nothing else; a white buttoned shirt, grey trousers missing their jacket, and a black belt that held it around his lean frame. There was also an earring in his right ear, but his mop of a hair made it difficult to confirm in shape. There was but silence when all eyes turned against each other. Despite the obvious advantage in numbers the Black side had, there was no telling what the Red side had in store, nor the powers of their Caster. The only one that displayed any form of mirth in this situation, was Caster of Dusk. She stood proudly out in front, and while her face was no longer quite as visible, there was no doubt in anyone's side that she didn't possess a smile of some form. Not the smile one would like to receive, however. "Well, I didn't expect to see you in anything other than that thick leather apron and gloves you never seemed to part with. Then again, the former may have been a hindrance in your attempt to run away, so I can see why you abandoned it, Caster of Dawn." Chapter Two 1255 The ceiling of the tunnel they were in burst open like whole section had been blown straight down in a neat rectangular shape. From the dust, there were more figures than either of them had initially expected to have arrived. Where they had at best guessed there were two, turned out to have been six; Two of these were not even human. From what Altea could see, they were just like large faceless mannequins, but their entire composition was made of solid steel rather than brittle plastic. Their maneuverability was also much more opposable than any shop ornament she had seen passing by display windows. There was a man in a butler's uniform who apparently posed no threat, yet his eyes instinctively told of danger whenever they passed over either of them. In front of him were two girls who were presumably the Dusk faction Masters; one younger with honey blonde hair dressed in pink, and another older with snow white hair in black. Both were in dresses but their attires were of differing tastes. However, the more worrying figure at least from Altea's point of view, was the woman "Well" she spoke with words that while stated like honey were laced in less than potent venom, "I didn't expect to see you in anything other than that thick leather apron and gloves you never seemed to part with. Then again, the former may have been a hindrance in your attempt to run away, so I can see why you abandoned it, Caster of Dawn." Caster of Dawn rubbed the back of his head before letting out a sigh of exhaustion. Whether it was faked or truthful was up for debate. "My, my, I would never expected that you be my opponent, Caster of Dusk," he countered. "I must really not be lucky on this occasion if you are my opponent. Opinions, Caster?" He found himself beginning to wrest for control of this maze. Rather than show more than a small twitch in her eye as the obvious pressure of their Noble Phantasms beginning to struggle against each other, she applied pressure of her own while retorting with a small laugh of amusement. "Fufufu. I forgot how much you enjoyed trying to assert your dominance. I'll enjoy reminding you who always ends up on top in our little struggle." "The joke is on you" he countered again, digging in his heels. "I'm quite sure I'm the one who assisted and directed you in your... ah, struggle with your relationship with that swine, Minos." "Ah" she responded as her arms started stiffening at her side. "I was worried that your old age had ruined your humour. Thank the gods for sparing that much of you. It would ruin the reunion if there wasn't much left of you to tear into." "Ah, apologies. I'm glad I have a sense of humor too because that jest was hilarious. I have much more to tear into. For example, this new body. It wouldn't be much fun if I didn't have a material form, am I right? Those eyes of yours are also telling me you enjoy beholding a body such as this." "Oh indeed. There is no point in denying obvious beauty in youth. It was a shame it was something never seen during your time in Knossos. I'm sure there would have been plenty of maidens who would have had their hearts stolen by the sight of you behind the layer of smoke and char you seemed to always find smeared over your face. And that is not to say what they would have thought once they heard you speak." "Well, yes, I do admit I was not at my prime upon being exiled from Athens. And, yes, I do agree with your claim of me always under the guise of one of Nyx's spawn. What can I say, I live in the workshops. Unlike a certain, spoiled princess who tried to find comfort in a servant because her husband was to be a god of obnoxiousness." "Tried? Oh, how you flatter yourself. Your eyes always looking for something new to play and tinker with. Something new for your hands to explore. Something more you could kiss and more. It took you a while, and you exhausted yourself far too quickly from over-excitement, but you eventually managed to get used to handling the maneuvering without being the one to spoil the experience." From anyone else's point of view, this was nothing more than a series of back and forth of retorts, veiled insults and apparently innuendos as well. However, to be standing in that narrow corridor at the time, both sides could feel the internal battle commencing even without the obvious sparks and flare of combat. The Labyrinth itself was the battleground and the weapon of choice. The walls, the floor, the ceiling. They shifted and shuddered like small earthquakes and eruptions were being continually being set off. Shades of different colours overpowered and diluted the other before being overwhelmed themselves. The respective capabilities of Minos Labyrinthos and Asterios Labyrinthos, the powers of both Casters possessed, were attacking and defending themselves and each other simultaneously in a perpetual tug of war for dominance over the other. Though neither spell-master would dare let the other know just how much they were struggling to fight the other, they continued to play this false charade or hurling insults to each other hoping for the other to slip up. That of course, came sooner than expected, but not for the good of the other unfortunately; "Well, I'm sorry for not being in my prime!" Caster of Dawn complained with an aloof tone. "I tell you, you were lucky that I was as old as I was at that time. If not for my age, I could probably have gone on for longer and maybe sired more than just my sweet Icarus and Iapyx!" He stopped for a second and put his hands together, silently praying for his son's soul. Three seconds later, he looks up and asks, "Got any more insults, my queen?" "You speak their names as if they mattered only to you. That you were the only one to mourn them and pray Hades be merciful. You tell me what it's like being told secondhand that the child you carried for nine months just below your heart suddenly vanished from existence without a trace to his name? What is it like to watch the son you were forced to watch from afar, that you had to pretend had died and given away like livestock, and see them plummet to their death and realise how powerless you are to prevent it? Unlike. You.. You, who made a habit of murdering children." "Well, my sincerest apologies, my queen! I sincerely regret my crime. If not for the mercy of Athena who turned my nephew into a bird, I would've been crushed by guilt! In atonement for my crime, I was exiled to Crete. There, I fathered two children. One was just not smart and plummeted to his own death. The other picked up by Apollo and made into a companion of Aeneas! Is it wrong of me to be proud of my children?" "Proud? Proud! Ha! And it wasn't just them you failed. It wasn't just them; when Androgeos came to your little workshop when he was only a boy, you pushed him out with all kinds of your trinkets. You were the one to put that stupid idea in his head that he could play sportsman and win fame participating in some foreign games across the sea. And you made that armour which failed to save him when he was murdered in your beloved city. Did you put your magic touch into that too? Or were you that sure he would die regardless?" "Whoa, there," Altea interrupted. "Hate to interrupt this surprisingly touching reunion but this chat is starting to run off topic. Shall I and the other Masters leave and have you two, ah... continue hashing this out?" Behind her back, her right hand glowed red as she invoked her second stroke. Without moving her lips, she muttered, "Caster, the Third of the Red orders you with her Command Spell. Lifting all restrictions on your abilities. If necessary, fight Caster of Dusk with all you have." Caster was discreet enough to keep his poker face upon being refilled to the brim with mana. "Oh no. Uh-" (Sinikka, who is about to do the same before Daisy grabs her hand nonchalantly) "Oh dear, it looks like the other side is actually going to take this seriously. And I thought this was a most entertaining of reunions. Tut-tut-tut. Well, it matters not. But, we really cannot afford to waste anymore time. We'll just have to press our advantage; Assassin! I guess it's time to play. Kill the master and cut that Caster off from his second wind." (Daisy, closing her fan and pointing at Altea) "Gladly, 'milady." Before anyone knew it, Assassin, having managed to walk around behind the two members of Dawn while everyone else was distracted. Uncloaking behind Altea and her Caster, with a knife ready and famished for blood. Altea reacted way too slowly. If not for her Jewel Origin, she would've been skewered and that would be the end of it. She was instead tossed aside. The force shoved her into an out-of-the-way corridor. She got up, rubbing her shoulders as they from the impact. Caster, I'm going to be going on a hike through this refreshing Labyrinth. Try not to kill me while you're having your lovely argument with Caster of Dusk. Haha, he replied, telepathically. I'll try my best, Master. With that, Altea dove deeper into the blackness of the Cretan Labyrinth, where death lurks at every twist and turn. "That most certainly won't do. It simply isn't done to take the carrot away from the mule" a command from Daisy was issued. "Assassin, make chase and be sharp about it." "Right away, 'milady." Assassin rushes off, cloaking again in Concealment due to the effects of escaping combat, promptly vanishes as he chases after. ---- 1301 This situation was almost too perfect now for anyone in the Dusk Faction to see; the master of Caster of Dawn was now forced to run from the pursuit of Assassin which now left the two of them isolated from each other. "Oh dear, Caster of Dawn" their Caster retorted as she believed her opponent had found his comeuppance. It would appear that your Master has run away. Perhaps that was the wisest course of action anyone who has ever been affiliated with you has ever made. Given your track record, it would make sense why escaping from you would ensure her survival. Apparently others do learn from history after all." Instead of showing worry for this situation, Caster of Dawn tutted in such as way to emulate a sense of being underestimated. "Please, Caster of Dusk. Like you said, she is indeed smart for leaving me. However, have you forgotten the true purpose of this maze? I'm sure you haven't, right?" "You do know me well" she retorted back at him. "Of course you would. I know of what our labyrinth is. You molded it and gave it form, and I breathed life into its very walls. I know how your master intends to shake away Assassin. But it appears you are the one to have forgotten the true purpose of this maze, no?" Caster of Dawn shrugged at her rebuttal. "No, no, I'm sure I clearly remember the purpose of this maze. However, the intended targets for the maze are no longer here. Plus, even if this maze is under my control, it still has a will of its own and does what it wants." "That humour of yours still tickles something once deep inside. I am glad that it was not taken from you, truly. The flaws of a genius; the unmistakable oversight of the obvious around them. Yes, this Labyrinth of ours has a will of its own. Yes, it will do what it wants. However, that is what you know of your labyrinth." Caster of Dawn's eyes began to narrow a little, but it wasn't obvious to anyone who wasn't at least vaguely aware of his expressions except for Caster of Dusk. "So, are you implying I am obviously mistaken about your Labyrinth? Well, I do agree that we share ownership of this creation." Caster scratched his neck. He honestly had no more retorts and plus, it's been a while since he had talked this much. His throat was getting sore which should be impossible but is still occurring. "Anyway, don't you think that we have been talking too much?" "Ara?" she faked surprise, before disguising a smile behind her hand covering her lips. "You didn't enjoy catching up on old times? I admit that you brought up some . . . distasteful topics, but I was rather enjoying our reminiscence. If life isn't without its distractions, then we would never be able to find a way to ensure preparations are properly laid. It has been rather draining, but then again it has been worthwhile." "Of course I enjoyed our chat! Why wouldn't I? It's just... I ran out of stuff that we could talk about. Unless you want to talk about how much of a failure King Minos is." He began to pace back and forth, his face fixed into one in deep thought. Upon reaching the wall, he silently spoke the incantation. Master, I am using ''that Noble Phantasm. You have no qualms, right?'' Of course. It's the only way we'll survive. It won't be pretty but at least we'll escape somehow. Caster of Dawn took his hand off the wall. Look to your left, Master. There is a stairway that leads to the surface. Escape now! I won't be able to help you once Perdix Pydixa's curse fully activates! ---- 1303 Altea was currently in a giant underground chamber, fighting off ghosts, probably the remnants of those who had died in the Labyrinth. Look to your left, Master. There is a stairway that leads to the surface. Escape now! I won't be able to help you once Perdix Pydixa's curse fully activates! The voice of her Caster wrapped around her mind, and her better instincts took over from there. She immediately turned left and took note of the stairs in which had just appeared. Sheathing her sword (which she had summoned in a small ritual she performed from the armory of her castle), she made a dash for the stairs, leaping up three at a time and emerging in a snowfield. Somehow, she had gone from the forests of Romania to the snowfields of Bathuybia's Vechnaya Province. Immediately, the one remaining stroke on her hand began to throb. However, when she turned, the stairway she had used had disappeared. I hope you're making the right choice, Caster... Don't worry, Master. I'll get out of this somehow. ---- This exchange took place in a timespan of five seconds. Caster took his hand off the wall and returned his attention to his opponent. "Where were we, again?" "You were stalling for time to eventually overpower me, thanks to that little girl's Command Spell, while I have been stalling for another reason entirely. Either way, we were both keeping each other distracted." "Argh. We've had enough of this" Daisy rolled her eyes at the lack of decisiveness in the conversation and without breathing a word. "If this is all this battle is going to be, then we are going to finish it. Since we can't afford to bring Assassin back, we'll let my dolls do the deed instead. Goodbye." One of the metal dolls started charging towards Caster of Dawn at her instance, its right hand morphing into a sharp blade. The gap between them was far, but sure enough it would be met with great ease at the automaton's speed. "sigh Quite the impatient young lady you are," Caster sighs. "You remind me of her when she was your age." Caster stepped back and blended into the shadows. "For now, Caster, this Labyrinth will try to kill us both. It will stop at nothing. I suggest you escape now. As for me, I will probably stay here. At least, I'll be able to draw the attention of the maze away from you." "Have you finally gone mad? Well, I suppose it was onl- . . . No. No. No, don't tell me you're going to-!" "Caster? What's he talking about" Sinikka reponded, suddenly growing worried by her servant's reaction. "Master, he's going to use his Noble Phantasm. We need to escape. Now!" "Escape?" her eyes widened in complete surprise to Daisy's comment "We're winning. Or at least we would have until he scarpered like a coward in the shade. I'll call back Assassin and smoke that chick-" "Listen to me, little girl" Caster of Dusk replied, cutting her off mid-sentence; "if he fires that Noble Phantasm, there will be no winners. We'll all be dead, I can guarantee. He'll turn my greatest weapon into our tomb if we do not leave now! I cannot open a path with him still pushing against me, so you must use it, Master" Sinikka was surprised by her Seervant's reactions and responses; since her summoning, this was the first time Caster of Dusk has ever addressed her as Master. If this threat was as big as her tone was describing it without physically animating it, then there was only one thing she could do at this point. As her Master, there was but one thing that she should do at this moment. Sinikka raises her left hand over her heart as if making a pledge. The markings that tattooed the back of her hand start radiating in a crimson hue that illuminates the passages in their vicinity. "Caster of Dusk. By this command seal, I, the third, order thee; teleport us and our nearby allies to Rome. Get us all out of this death trap!" "At once!" Fully accepting the order as the overwhelming power and urges of the Command Seals compel her actions with added might, Caster of Dusk begins shutting down her struggle against Caster of Dawn's Labyrinth, unaware by this point of the obvious that he too had ceased his resistance. In a great flash that absorbed all their allies into one great ball, the magic of teleportation whisked them away before their enemy's eyes. ---- Caster felt the pushing stop and immediately opened a passage to the surface (refreshingly filled with death traps!). He tumbled out in the snowfields of Vechnaya and hastily closed the passageway behind him. Well, once I activate this Noble Phantasm again, it'll go back to wanting to kill me... "Well, that took you long enough." Altea was waiting and her mood was quite bad, indicated by her crossed arms. "Apologies, Master," he bowed. "However, I would like to remind you that the next time I open my Labyrinth, it will immediately try to kill me." "...I am keenly aware of that," Altea muttered. "Conversing with Ruler?" Caster asked, noting the other Servant in the vicinity. "Ah, Caster," Ruler mused. "It's barely the first day and you already have signed a death warrant? I honestly can't believe you. Anyway, having used two strokes on the first day alone, how reckless are you, Miss Altea?" "Well, I believe I was just being too cautious, Ruler. Thanks for the concern," she replied. She looked at her right hand, the seal back to its former shape. Just minutes earlier, Ruler had appeared and addressed her, giving her two more strokes. (Altea was truly taken aback by Ruler's kindness.) Caster would arrive directly after the transference of said strokes. "I shall be watching from the shadows," Ruler stated. "Try to survive until the third day, Altea Flamel, Caster." Ruler would proceed to hop into the car in which he had used to arrive at this point and had the mortal driving it to bring him back to wherever he was. Caster and Altea were left behind in the rather balmy weather. Epilogue 1307 "Damn! Damn! Damn!" Daisy couldn't stop herself from stamping her foot in the middle of the ground. The end result of this confrontation had been an absolute disaster for their side; They were at the clear advantage and had it not been for that Caster of Dawn's Noble Phantasm their Caster had warned them about, they would have easily had been able to knock out a Master and Servant pair on the first day. "Stupid! Stupid!" What was more humiliating was that they were the ones that had to retreat from the battle. Them, not the enemy who had been outnumbered and outmatched. And yet, they still managed to obtain victory. "Baka! Baka! Baka!" The only good thing that had come of this encounter was that they were now within range to assault the home base of the Dawn Faction as they had originally planned. However, they had done so at the cost of a command seal, and one of their allies in the fight. "It's a shame that we couldn't all escape. Without Assassin, we are substantially lower on manpower now" Sinikka commented, resting her back against the roof while trying not to let gravity propel her down the slope. Although the teleportation had been specific to take them to the city of Roman some seventeen minutes away from Trifas, the desperation in the command left them stranded atop and scattered over the buildings. It didn't take long before Daisy had forced one of her dolls to take her to the ground so she could stamp out her frustrations on the infrastructure rather than risk falling through someone's home like lunatic. "Unfortunately" Caster went to explain, "even I could not find Assassin in such short a time as we had and even by the command seal's compelling it was not within my power to do so." "R-regardless, we are s-still alive. And, we can still salvage this situation. "Unfortunately, our demise is now almost inevitable should we every attempt to use my Noble Phantasm again for the duration of this war. I doubt that even if that madman is killed off that we could erase the damage he has already dealt." Sinikka looked down trodden on the situation. Her servant's only Noble Phantasm was now out of action. No. Not out action, but out of play entirely. It could still be used, but if what she said was to be taken literally, it was now a mausoleum rather than a labyrinth. Fipart, without the aid of a doll, leaped from the roof and landed on both his feet as if he was born a cat. His legs bent in recoil, however, he was largely unharmed in any meaningful way from the fall. He brushed himself off and turned towards his now exhausted mistress, who unlike him was now feeling an aching numbness in her right foot from venting her anger. "Shall I make '' the second preparation'' immediately, ma maitresse?" he asked her, diverting her attention to the four of the six cases of luggage they had managed to salvage from their desperate escape. Daisy turned her face, and the sound of sniffing was largely heard but went commented as she gave one brush of her face and pulled out her fan again to unfurl it before her eyes. She didn't turn back to meet them eye to eye again, however. "Prepare two this time" she replied. "We're not taking any more chances. This time around, we will press our advantage, full commitment."